A Celebation of God's Saving Grace
by Massimo Lorenzini
May 2002
Greetings!
In celebration of my 11th anniversary of coming to know the Lord Jesus Christ and experiencing His saving power, I send you this greeting and humble request that you celebrate with me by reading my story below.
It was 11 years ago on the day before Mother's Day that I heard and believed the Good News of salvation in Christ. I want to briefly share my testimony of salvation with you. I don't know where you are in your spiritual journey. You may be unawakened and just going through life rather routinely. I hope this letter might serve to change that. Or you might be deeply aware of your need for a spiritual solution for your life. Whatever the case, I hope this letter not only teaches you more about how I came to know the Lord, but also stirs you to want to know Him as well.
I'd like to begin with a passage of God's Word that is an apt description of my experience with Christ:
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:1-10).
My life before Christ was a void of purpose and truth. I grew up in a broken, nominally Catholic family. I was born in Naples, Italy to an Italian mother and Italian-American father serving in the U.S. Navy. My home life as a child was marked by a relational void. My parents didn't get along with each other. Though I had my material needs taken care of, I received little personal nurturing and the only exposure to God's truth I heard was from my limited exposure to Roman Catholicism. My father was in the Navy and was hardly ever home. When he was home, he tried to be the likable dad rather than the moral leader. I grew distant from my family and sought solace outdoors alone or hanging out with friends. I was a latch-key kid early on and as part of the process of my parents' divorce we relocated to Albuquerque from Italy. This resulted in even more detachment from others as the only family I had left was my working mother and little sister. My mother worked very hard to provide for and supervise my sister and I. I want to honor her well-meaning efforts and sacrifice. Sadly, though, it was too little too late as the factors leading to my rebellion were already in place.
At the age of eleven I fell into the wrong crowd. I lived for drugs, drinking, Rock music, and chasing girls. I gave very little attention to school. My life revolved around partying. My only thought about the future was to be in a Rock band.
I had some vague spiritual beliefs (mainly in life after death), but had no understanding of the gospel. I dabbled in environmentalism. I believed humanity was a cancer on the earth. I believed that the environment could not withstand man's impact and we would eventually face a severe environ-mental crisis. I had a pessimistic view of the future. I saw our whole economic and political situation as very fragile and anticipated global anarchy. This hopeless belief led to a greater desire to party.
As I grew out of my teen years I became more lonely and depressed. I had nothing to live for. Sin wasn't even fun anymore. I even began to welcome death. I was not suicidal, just tired of living. Inside I hungered for truth and meaning.
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3).
When I was twenty years old I had a life-changing encounter with the truth. A friend and I received a flyer advertising the showing of documentary about Rock music called Hells Bells. I decided to go see it since I was curious to know what Christians had to say about Rock music. We planned on going to the bars and nightclubs afterwards. However, the film contained more than I expected. It compared and contrasted the message of Rock music and the lifestyles of the musicians with the message of the Bible and the life of Christ. I learned that Rock music is an expression of rebellion against God and that I was guilty of rebelling against God.
For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity--for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him (2 Peter 2:18-19).
The longer the film went on the more I saw that Rock represented a dead end, lies, and death, and that Jesus was the way, the truth, and the life. I believed the gospel that night in May of 1991, even though I did not fully understand all the language and concepts involved in salvation. I had finally come to know the truth! I realized that I was a helpless sinner who could do nothing to save myself and had to trust in God completely for my salvation. I believed that Jesus' substitutionary, sacrificial death on the cross was sufficient to cover the debt of my sins before God and provide reconciliation and eternal life with God.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-7).
My life since has been a stewardship of that truth. I began to soak up the Scriptures in my personal Bible reading. I began to grow in a life of prayer, witnessing, service in the church, and worship of God. The Lord has given me a consuming desire to know His Word and share it with others. I am amazed at how He continues to work in my life to prepare me for His service.
Sharing Christ with a Muslim in Santa Monica, CA
God has given me real peace, joy, and hope. God has blessed me with a wonderful Christian wife and a good education in Christian ministry. He has given me a stability I could never know without Him. I have found Jesus' words to be very true:
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash" (Matthew 7:24-27).
You too can have a life of fellowship with your Creator God and experience His love, truth, and wisdom for yourself.
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:9-10).
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Your life also can be a work of God's transforming grace if you will receive Christ. You too can walk in the good works which God has prepared for you if you will simply turn your life over to Him. However, if you choose to live for yourself and your possessions, you simply have no hope of success.
Jesus taught on this in Luke 12:15-21:
Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
I urge you not to be like others who have turned away from Jesus because they would not accept His teaching. My prayer is that you will respond as Peter did in John 6:66-68:
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
I pray that you will surrender your arms against God (whatever they may be: false religion, apathy, anger, selfishness, etc.), confess your rebellion and violation of His will, and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. If you have even the slightest interest in knowing God, please contact me. I would love hear of it and offer whatever help I can.
We want everyone, including you, to know Christ
If you don't have a Bible (or one that is easy to read), please let me know and I'd be happy to send you one as my gift to you. If you have questions about the Christian faith that are a real stumbling block to your faith, please share those with me as well. While I don't claim to know everything, I have spent these last 11 years in serious study of the Bible and religious issues (including formal undergraduate and graduate education). So I do know some things about this and would like to help you answer your questions, however great or small they may be.
Thank you for reading this long letter, and I do pray for you "in the hope that God will grant [you] repentance leading [you] to a knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 2:25).
Yours in Christ,
-Massimo
Hear the call of Jesus:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
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